Inside Out: The Art of Corporate Reporting Design

With nearly thirty years of experience in corporate design, our Creative Director Ellen takes you on a journey through her fascination with information, typography, and clear communication. From her early days at a branding agency to translating complex data into clear and meaningful annual reports, this interview is an insightful glimpse into the passion and mastery she brings to design and communication.

You’ve been active in the field of corporate design for about thirty years. How did your career begin?

My career began at a design agency that, like Total Design, focused on developing corporate brands. At the time, I was part of a branding team working on the evolution of brand identities. Fairly quickly, I realized that my main interest lay in projects where the user or reader is at the center — designs where not only form, but also content and structure, play a key role.

Are you referring to information design?

I wasn’t familiar with that term at the time. But the interest was definitely there: structuring information, revising content, and making complex data visually understandable. It soon became clear that these elements come together most effectively in the field of corporate reporting.

How did you first get involved in designing annual reports?

At TD Cascade, where I ended up next, corporate reporting was a key specialty. I immediately felt at home there. My fascination with clear, typographic layout structures and my pragmatic approach found their full expression. Translating complex data and text into charts, tables, and infographics—combined with typographic design—is where I excel.

A lot has changed on the technical side over the years. What impact have you noticed this has had on your work?

Many organizations have switched to digital publishing tools. We explored this technology very early on: content management systems that allow publishing from a single source across multiple platforms. We not only learned to use these systems but also to push them to the limits of what was technically possible—without compromising on design.

From the outside, corporate reporting has a technical image. Is that a fair assessment?

The technical aspect is undeniably present, but the core of the field goes beyond technology. An annual report is much more than a mandatory exercise in transparency regarding numbers and the organization’s sustainability policy. It is the moment when an organization can clearly and powerfully communicate both its performance and its strategy. In that presentation, everything comes together: content, positioning, identity, and vision for the future.

Where do you, as a Creative Director, see your added value?

My role operates at the intersection of information and imagination. Every project requires a tailored approach. That’s why I actively seek a substantive dialogue with the client. Only by fully understanding what needs to be communicated and the context around it can I translate it into a design that is both functional and meaningful.

And when is a project successful for you?

When the visual language is not just form, but an integral part of the story. When the chosen structure, typography, infographics, and navigation reinforce each other and help convey the message. Then the report is not only readable but also persuasive. That, to me, is the true power of good corporate reporting design.